Fireside (Lakeshore Chronicles) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Wiggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009 | Series: Lakeshore Chronicles

Baseball hopeful Bo Crutcher is about to get his shot at the majors. That is, until life throws him a curveball. When AJ, the son he’s never met, lands on his doorstep, Bo’s life becomes a whole new ball game. He needs help—fast. Enter Kimberly van Dorn. Hired to smooth Bo’s rough exterior for the media, she expects the kind of shallow pro athlete she’s used to handling. But Bo is willing to sacrifice everything for his vulnerable son. Kim can train him to hit a home run with the press, but over a breathtaking winter on frozen Willow Lake, she realizes he has far more to teach her about the game of life…and putting love first. “With the ease of a master, Wiggs introduces complicated, flesh-and-blood characters into her idyllic but identifiable small-town setting.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Winter Lodge (Best Books of 2007 selection)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

For years, hard-living Bo Crutcher has worked diligently toward a New York Yankees pitching spot, but just when it seems likely, he learns that his son AJ needs a home after his mother is detained by the Texas INS as an undocumented alien. Kimberly van Dorn, a hotshot media-relations expert in Los Angeles, is also experiencing a dramatic life change. She has fled her abusive client-boyfriend for the safety of Avalon, New York, and her mother’s ancestral home. Having satisfactorily provided for the adult Bellamy generation in a string of popular novels, including Snowfall at Willow Lake (2008), Wiggs now directs the spotlight onto secondary characters readers have met in previous installments of her small-town contemporary-romance series, the Lakeshore Chronicles, poignantly revealing the catastrophic results of unjust immigration laws, especially on the American-born children of deported parents. --Lynne Welch

Review

"With the ease of a master, Wiggs introduces complicated, flesh-and-blood characters into her idyllic but identifiable small town setting..."--Publishers Weekly Starred Review on The Winter Lodge (Best Books of 2007 selection)

"Susan Wiggs paints the details of human relationships with the finesse of a master."

-Jodi Picoult

"Wiggs's storytelling is heartwarming... clutter free... [for] romance and women's fiction readers of any age."

--Publishers Weekly

"Wiggs's talent is reflected in her thoroughly believable characters as well as the way she recognizes the importance of family by blood or other ties."

--Library Journal

"Susan Wiggs writes with bright assurance, humor and compassion."

--Luanne Rice

"Empathetic protagonists, interesting secondary characters, well-written flashbacks, and delicious recipes add depth to this touching, complex romance..."

--Library Journal on The Winter Lodge

"Emotionally intense."

Booklist on The Winter Lodge

"Wiggs is at the top of her game here, combining a charming setting with subtly shaded characters and more than a touch of humor. This is the kind of book a reader doesn't want to see end but can't help devouring as quickly as possible."

--RT Book Reviews [Top Pick] on Snowfall at Willow Lake

"Rich with life lessons, nod-along moments and characters with whom readers can easily relate.... Delightful and wise, Wiggs's latest shines."

--Publishers Weekly on Dockside

"Wonderfully evoked characters, a spellbinding story line, and insights into the human condition will appeal to every reader."

--Booklist on Summer at Willow Lake --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778326179
• ISBN-13: 978-0778326175
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars fabulous lighthearted romantic romp February 3, 2009

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Public relations expert Kimberly van Dorn is reeling. Her professional basketball star lover dumped her following a public argument. Soon after that spat, she is fired by her firm. Needing time to recuperate and decide what next, Kim goes home to stay with her widowed mom for a while.

However, mom has converted their house into a boardinghouse; more shocking is she is dating one of her renters. Also residing there is baseball pitcher Bo Crutcher, who is about to reach the majors playing for the Yanks, and his son AJ. The child stays with him since AJ's mom got into serious immigration issues and is probably going to be deported. However, Bo is caught between two conflicting spitballs as he has never met his kid before the dumping while he must attend the Fame School if he wants to play for the Yankees. Bo hires Kim to be his PR guru. Though attracted to one another, he can't get to first base with her as she has vowed to never date professional athletes ever again.

The latest Lakeshore Chronicles (see SNOWFALL AT WILLOW LAKE, DOCKSIDE, THE WINTER LODGE and SUMMER AT WILLOW LAKE) is a fabulous lighthearted romantic romp. Susan Wiggs cleverly combines humor with a strong cast working through a difficult situation as life after striking out Kim has thrown two splitters at Bo just when he is about to join the Yankees.

Harriet Klausner

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 only because it's a "Lakeshore Chronicle" February 19, 2009

By Discerning Mom

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is not her greatest book. I really wanted a romance novel. The romance here was on the back burner. Bo Crutcher wasn't a knight in shining armor. He seemed like an illiterate. Definitely, no one I would want to date. Also, his son, A.J. really missed his mother, but he was overly rude to his father. This went on for far too long in my opinion. Her previous books in this series were MUCH better.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars B-O-R-I-N-G!! May 24, 2009

By Woodchuck

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me preface this by saying that I love Susan Wiggs and have read nearly all of her other books. However, it seems like somebody else wrote this one. The characters are flat and boring, there is minimal plot, and the ending is unrealistic. Don't waste your hard-earned money...